Playing at 11,000 feet cannot be a mean feat for any footballer in the world.
But that is the goal of the founders of the ‘1 Ladakh Football Club’ that was launched in Leh on Tuesday, with the aim of becoming the first ‘professional’ club in the region.
And in the process of becoming that, 1 Ladakh FC is also looking to set an example for other clubs in the region to follow as they aim to be the “cleanest and greenest” club in the country. “The goal is to attain Net Zero Carbon by 2025,” Ladakh FA general secretary and a director at 1 Ladakh FC, T Angmo, told TOI from Leh.
Located at the epicentre of the dialogue for climate change, 1 Ladakh will put a lot of focus on sustainability and have zero usage of plastic in all activities at the club. While ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India has joined the sustainability cause as the chief sponsor, Danish brand Hummel has taken the role of ‘eco-friendly’ kit sponsor.
“We intend to be operational in a month or so with the goal of being as green as possible,” a club source said. “We hope to take part in the Reliance Developmental League next season and are looking for a foreign coach to start things off. We are in talks with some European names.”
While they are expected to use one of the two football grounds under the administration of the Union Territory as their home, they will also have to rope in some professional players from outside the state alongside the local footballers to fill up the roster.
Just a few months back, in December 2022, Ladakh created history on the football field by fielding their first ever team at Santosh Trophy and also eked out a 2-2 draw against Uttarakhand — their best show in the domestic campaign.
It was the result of the Ladakh Football Association getting the affiliation with the All India Football Association in 2022. Even the state women’s team is currently competing at the Senior Nationals in Chhattisgarh currently.
According to Angmo, it was this development that fueled the excitement for the sport in the state that had always had a special love for the game. “Since the founding and affiliation of Ladakh FA, there have been at least 30-32 clubs that have been formed in the state and registered with the association. They are mostly village or community clubs and harness the talent and enthusiasm among the youngsters for football,” Angmo told TOI from Leh.
Angmo also said that the Leh District Football League in May is expected to be the first competition that 1 Ladakh will be participating in. “We want to start from the grassroots and have an organic growth upward,” she added.
They could then be competing at the inaugural Ladakh Football League that is expected to start this year. Club sources meanwhile said they are equally interested in promoting women’s empowerment in the region and have plans of starting their women’s team from next season.
